Eagles Will Try to Win the Division in Week 16 Matchup Against the Commanders
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) scores during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The Eagles are taking on their biggest threat in the NFC East tomorrow at their home, and have a chance to clinch the division with a victory.
The 12-2 Eagles are taking on the 9-5 Washington Commanders tomorrow at 1:00 in Northwest Stadium. With this win the Eagles would officially reclaim the title of NFC East Champions, which they had most recently held in 2022. This game would also guarantee them the number two seed in the playoffs, bringing playoff football back to the Linc for at least one game.
The number one seed in the NFC is still up for grabs, but Philadelphia needs a little help before that can happen. Detroit and Minnesota would each need to lose another game and the Eagles would need to win out in order to receive the first-round bye, and this win would come against the hardest opponent Philly has left on the schedule.
Looking at the game itself, it will be a battle between two very strong teams, but the Eagles are certainly favored. Their first game this year ended with Philly on top 26-18, which seems close until you realize the score was 26-10 until the final 30 seconds of the game where Zach scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
speaking of Ertz, he is one of many Commanders who will not be available for this game. Missing also will be Austin Ekeler, who had eight receptions for 89 yards in their first matchup, as well as Jonathan Allen and Jeremy Chinn on defense. These are key pieces that will certainly be missed by Washington on Sunday.
On a positive injury note for the Commanders, Jayden Daniels appears much healthier than he did in his first appearance against the Eagles. Daniels was clearly not at 100% his first time in Philly, and his play reflected that, completing 22 of 32 passing attempts for 191 yards with one touchdown and one interception while taking three sacks. The young QB will almost certainly look to course correct with his number one receiver Terry McLaurin, who only had one reception on two targets in the first matchup. This was thanks in large part to the absolute lockdown defense of Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who was unreal in coverage and will look to be just as lockdown as he was last time.
Looking at the Eagles’ injury report, they’re overall healthier than the Commanders but very banged up. Jalen Hurts has a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, which doesn’t seem like a big deal but could greatly impact his threat as a rusher, especially on the brotherly shove if he has to tuck the ball instead of sticking it out. A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley are also dealing with lingering injuries but are likely to play, however, expect them to be pulled early if this game becomes a blowout, even with the rushing record on the line for Saquon.
Speaking of which, Saquon currently needs to average 140 yards a game to break Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 rushing yards in a single season. Washington is currently ranked 25th in rushing yards allowed per game at 132.1, and their first meeting allowed Saquon to run for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. After using their passing offense to defeat the Steelers last week, you can expect the Eagles to go back to the run against the Commanders.
This game would mark the 11th win in a row for the Eagles, extending the current record of 10 consecutive wins set in last week’s game against Pittsburgh. The Eagles are favored by a 3.5-point spread with a -190 money line.
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Bo Lynett
Bo has been a fan of Philly sports his whole life and has spent the entirety of his four years at Colgate University working to start a career in sports media. Double majoring in Economics and Film & Media Studies gave him the opportunity to study both the financial/ analytical and broadcasting/ production sides of the sports world. Outside of the classroom, he’s worked as a director and producer for Colgate’s athletic events streamed on ESPN+ and a writer for the Colgate Athletic Website. Through all of this, however, it was his love of Philly sports that drove him to this career.
